This invention relates to devices and methods for identifying and protecting fittings and more particularly to simplifying the temporary plugging/protection and/or identification of fittings adapted for interconnection of tubular members.
Temporary protection and identification for ends of tubes and the like has heretofore been proposed, illustrative of which is the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,015 granted May 2, 2000 to the inventor hereof
Other proposals have been made for protecting disconnected fittings or ends of tubular material, illustrative of which are U.S. Pat. No. 600,892 to Schirra; U.S. Pat. No. 2,580,762 granted to J. R. Grenier et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,767 granted to Topf; U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,681 granted to Gray, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,312 granted to Joseph T. Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,052 granted to Schmidt; U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,183 granted to Meyer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,756 granted to Smiley; U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,023 granted to Turley; U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,062 granted to Callicoatte; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,797 granted to Bullock. Also a proposal of interest is set forth in an undated technical report of the General Electric Company titled xe2x80x9cG-E Sealing Caps and Sleeves For Pipe and Thread Protectionxe2x80x9d and received by the USPTO in June, 1947.
Although such proposals have individually addressed selected problems encountered in effectively providing for thread protection and identification, there yet have remained opportunities for further improvement. Accordingly, there has continued to be a need for improved devices and methods for identifying and protecting fittings which provide for dependability and low cost while maintaining ease and simplicity in use; and which include, in combination, pluralities of features.
The improved system according to the invention hereof includes simple and cost effective features that facilitate ready marking of fittings according to size, type and match, while providing protection for threads and other connector elements. Thus, in accordance with the preferred embodiment hereof, flexibility and dependability of marking and protection are provided through use of improved capping members which include, in combination, slightly tapered cavities, tapered lips and resiliently expandable relief recesses to facilitate use with slightly varying sizes of fittings when press fit onto threads and other connector elements. Other features include matched pairing of capping members, color coding of individual and paired capping assemblies, provision of frangible strips connecting members into pairs, provision of other frangible strips extending circumferentially about the capping members to facilitate optional removal of parts of the capping members while retaining color coded markings, and scored lines on lips of the capping members to facilitate removal when desired. The preferred embodiments include both the capping members and methods of deployment and use. Thus according to the invention, there is provided a compensating and identifying capping member for protecting fittings including a combination of features. Comprising a shaped member having a plurality of side segments connected to form a symmetrical enclosure, said member having expandable relief recesses of resilient material contiguously homogeneous with and partly interconnecting at least a pair of said side segments. Also according to the invention, the capping member optionally includes a first circumferential crease and a second circumferential crease substantially parallel to the first circumferential crease and displaced from the first circumferential crease by a predetermined distance so as to create a frangible strip adapted for manual disengagement from the member.
There also is disclosed a compensating and identifying assembly including a first compensating and identifying member for protecting fittings comprising a first generally cylindrically shaped member having a first plurality of substantially planar side panel segments contiguously connected to form a polygon, the first member having expandable relief recesses of resilient material contiguously homogeneous with and interconnecting at least a pair of said first plurality of substantially planar side panel segments; a second compensating and identifying member for protecting fittings comprising an essentially cylindrically shaped member smaller than the first member, the second member having a plurality of substantially arcuate side panel segments contiguously connected to form said essentially cylindrically shaped member, the second member having expandable relief recesses of resilient material contiguously homogeneous with and interconnecting at least a pair of the arcuate side panel segments; and a connecting frangible strip connecting the first member with the second member and contiguous with the first member and the second member.
The invention also includes methods of deployment and use of the foregoing members. Thus, it includes a method of identifying and protecting one of a pair of mating fittings comprising identifying the size of said one of the pair of fittings, selecting the correct size for a member constructed in accordance with the foregoing description, disposing the selected member of the correct size adjacent said one of said fittings, expanding recessed reliefs of the selected member by press fitting the selected member onto said one of said fittings. It also includes a method of identifying and protecting a mated pair of fittings using a compensating and identifying assembly constructed in accordance with the foregoing description, including identifying the size of a first one of a pair of fittings, selecting correct size for a first shaped member constructed according to the foregoing description, disposing the first shaped member adjacent the first one of the fittings, expanding recessed reliefs of the first shaped member by press fitting the first shaped member onto said one of the fittings, identifying the size of the other one of the pair of fittings, selecting the correct size for a second shaped member constructed according to the foregoing description, disposing the second shaped member adjacent the other one of said pair of fittings, and expanding recessed reliefs of the second shaped member by press fitting the second shaped member onto the other one of said pair of fittings.
It is one general object of the invention to improve compensating and identifying members.
It is another object of the invention to facilitate protection and marking of fittings.
It is yet another object of the invention to reduce cost and complexity of protective caps for fittings.
It is yet another object of the invention to enhance versatility of use of protective caps for fittings.
Accordingly, in accordance with one feature of the invention, a cap of a generally cylindrical shape is proposed, and at least a pair of relief recesses are provided therein, thus facilitating versatility of use in press fitting onto fittings of moderately varying dimensions.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, a flared lip is provided around an opening of the generally cylindrical cap, thus further facilitating press fitting on to fittings.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, a lip location weakened by a score line is provided to facilitate breaking and removing a part of the cap from a fitting when desired.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the internal geometry of the cap decreases slightly from the flared lip to the closed end, thereby facilitating molding and subsequent use in pressing onto fittings.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, provision is made for optional identification by providing color coding of the caps.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the caps include circumferential frangible strips provided for easy manual separation of parts of the caps, thus facilitating use.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, provision is additionally made for disposing the caps in pairs by connecting them together with frangible strips that are homogeneous with the caps, thus facilitating molding of cap assemblies while providing for ready separation of the caps if desired.